Restaurant & Kitchen Cleaning Services Ireland

Why Restaurants Need Professional Cleaning

Running a restaurant in Ireland means navigating a regulatory environment that has become increasingly strict since the introduction of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) inspection regime. Environmental Health Officers conduct unannounced inspections. They check cleaning schedules, chemical storage, temperature logs, and the physical cleanliness of every surface in your kitchen and dining area. A poor inspection result does not just risk a closure order — it damages your reputation on social media within hours.

Most restaurant owners rely on their kitchen team to handle cleaning at the end of each shift. The problem is that shift-end cleaning, however thorough, only covers accessible surfaces. It does not reach inside extraction ductwork, behind fixed equipment, underneath heavy ranges, inside ceiling voids, or deep within grease traps. Over time, grease, food debris, and bacteria accumulate in these hidden areas, creating fire risks, pest harbourage, and hygiene failures that become visible only during an inspection — or worse, during a customer complaint.

Optus Glean provides two distinct services for restaurants: scheduled contract cleaning (nightly or post-service front-of-house and kitchen cleaning) and periodic deep cleaning (quarterly or monthly kitchen deep cleans, extraction cleaning, and equipment degreasing). Most of our restaurant clients use both services together, though each is available separately.

HACCP-Compliant Kitchen Cleaning

Every food business in Ireland is legally required to operate a HACCP system under EC Regulation 852/2004. Cleaning is a foundational element of any HACCP plan. If your cleaning is not documented, scheduled, and verifiable, your HACCP plan has a gap that the EHO will identify.

Optus Glean builds a HACCP-compliant cleaning schedule for every restaurant client. This schedule covers:

• Every surface, piece of equipment, and area in the kitchen and front-of-house
• Cleaning frequency: daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly tasks
• Specific cleaning method and chemical for each task
• Colour-coded equipment assignments to prevent cross-contamination
• Temperature verification for dishwashers (minimum 82°C final rinse)
• Sign-off sheets for staff accountability
• Deep clean records with dated photographic evidence

This documentation becomes part of your HACCP file and is available for EHO inspection at any time. We update it whenever your menu, equipment, or layout changes.

Kitchen Deep Cleaning

A kitchen deep clean goes beyond daily cleaning to address every surface, fixture, and piece of equipment in the commercial kitchen. Our deep clean process is systematic and thorough.

1. Equipment shutdown and cool-down — All cooking equipment is switched off and allowed to cool. Gas and electrical supplies are isolated where required.
2. Heavy degreasing — Ovens, ranges, fryers, griddles, salamanders, and chargrills are treated with food-safe alkaline degreaser. Baked-on carbon is removed from burners, grates, and interior surfaces.
3. Extraction canopy and filters — Canopy surfaces are degreased. Baffle filters are removed, soaked, and scrubbed. Filter housings are cleaned.
4. Walls, floors, and ceilings — Tiled walls are degreased from ceiling to floor. Floor drains are cleared and sanitised. Ceiling tiles and light fittings are cleaned and degreased.
5. Cold storage — Walk-in fridges and freezers are cleaned internally and externally. Shelving is removed and sanitised. Door seals are cleaned and checked.
6. Ancillary areas — Pot wash area, dry stores, waste storage, and staff changing areas are all included.
7. Sanitisation — All food contact surfaces receive a final sanitisation pass with food-safe biocide.
8. Documentation — Photographic before-and-after evidence is provided. A deep clean certificate is issued for your HACCP records.

Extraction Duct Cleaning

Grease-laden extraction ductwork is one of the most common causes of commercial kitchen fires in Ireland. Insurance companies increasingly require documented evidence of regular extraction cleaning as a condition of cover. If your extraction system has not been professionally cleaned in the last 12 months, you may find your fire insurance is void.

Optus Glean cleans the complete extraction system from canopy to discharge point. This includes canopy interior surfaces, baffle or mesh filters, ductwork internals (using rotary brush and scraper systems), fan units and impellers, and the external discharge stack. We issue a Certificate of Extraction Cleaning after each service, confirming the date, scope of work, and condition of the system. This certificate satisfies both insurance and EHO requirements.

Extraction cleaning frequency depends on usage: high-volume kitchens (200+ covers/day) should be cleaned every 6 months, standard restaurants every 12 months. We schedule this work overnight or during your regular closing day to avoid any disruption to service.

Front-of-House Cleaning

The dining area is where your customers form their impression of your restaurant. A sticky floor, a dusty light fitting, or a stained seat cover can undo thousands of euros of investment in food and service. Our front-of-house cleaning covers every surface your customers see and touch.

• Floor cleaning: vacuuming, mopping, or scrubbing depending on floor type (tiles, wood, carpet, polished concrete)
• Table and chair sanitation: all surfaces wiped and sanitised
• Booth and banquette upholstery: vacuuming, spot cleaning, periodic deep extraction
• Bar area: counter tops, glass shelving, back-bar surfaces, ice well surrounds
• Entrance and reception: door glass, mats, host station, menus and holders
• Light fittings and decorative features: dusting, polishing, cobweb removal
• Window sills, ledges, and artwork: dust-free surfaces throughout

Restaurant Cleaning Pricing

Restaurant cleaning pricing depends on the size of the premises, the scope of the kitchen, and the cleaning frequency. Below are indicative 2026 pricing ranges for Ireland. Every Optus Glean contract is priced individually following a site survey.

Note: Prices exclusive of VAT. Bundling kitchen deep cleans with table linen laundry saves 10–15% on the combined contract. All pricing includes cleaning chemicals, equipment, and waste removal.

The Integrated Advantage for Restaurants

Optus Glean is one of the few cleaning companies in Ireland that combines contract cleaning, deep cleaning, extraction cleaning, commercial laundry (table linen, chef whites, aprons), and washroom services under a single contract. For restaurant owners, this means one provider, one invoice, one point of contact, and genuine cost savings of 15–25% compared to sourcing each service separately.

Our cleaning teams are trained specifically for food-service environments. They hold food safety awareness certification, understand HACCP principles, and know how to work around kitchen equipment without causing damage. They carry their own colour-coded equipment and food-safe chemicals — nothing from your kitchen is used for cleaning purposes.

Serving Restaurants Across Ireland

Optus Glean provides restaurant cleaning services in every county in Ireland. Whether you are a Michelin-starred restaurant in Dublin, a busy gastropub in Cork, a hotel restaurant in Galway, a fish-and-chip shop in Limerick, or a cafe in Killarney, we have the people, the equipment, and the systems to keep your premises HACCP-compliant and inspection-ready at all times.

We work with independent restaurants, restaurant groups, hotel restaurants, fast-casual chains, cafes, and catering kitchens. Our scheduling system accommodates late-night and early-morning cleaning windows to fit around your service hours.